Patsy Collins - Words about writing and writing about words

Napper is an 18th century slang word for the head. Did you know that, or did you, like me, think it was a word for people who take naps? D...

Elbows are of course the joint halfway down our arms which allow them to bend. They're very useful to writers! A piece of piping sh...

Verdigris (pronounced verdegree) is best known as the effect on metals such as brass and copper when they're exposed to weather or se...

Fictive means creating or created by imagination. It can also mean not genuine. Are works of fiction, such as my lovely romance Leave Not...

Secrete is an interesting word in that it can mean almost the opposite of itself.  In some cases  secrete    means to put away, hide or c...

Reciprocity is 'the condition of being reciproca l'. It's doing something in return, mutual actions, give and take, inversely c...

Lichen is the variously coloured mossy type stuff you often see on trees and rocks. It's composed of a fungus and alga in a symbiotic...

To go withershins means to travel in a direction contrary to the sun's course and is sometimes thought to be unlucky. Another meaning ...

Cosy , as I'm sure you know, means comfortable and warm. It can also mean friendly, as in a cosy relationship .  Less favourably the w...